(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to lighting systems. More particularly, the subject matter relates to lighting modules for installation in an end-to-end configuration.
(b) Related Prior Art
Railway vehicles, or trains, consist of a series of connected vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another. Many modern trains are powered by electricity supplied by overhead electrical wires or additional electrified rails. Other sources of power (such as diesel engines, batteries and gas turbines) may be possible.
Rail car design and the general safety of passenger trains have evolved over time, making travel by train remarkably safe. One safety feature is to provide an appropriate lighting system. As shown in FIG. 1, typical main interior lighting systems 100 for railway vehicles, or trains, include, but are not limited to, a power supply (AC or DC supply) 102, a plurality of fluorescent light fixtures 104 typically mounted on the ceilings, the floors and/or the walls of the train via ballasts 106. Moreover, lighting systems for railway vehicles may also include a plurality of disaster light fixtures 108, also mounted on the ceilings, the floors and/or the walls and controlled by another power source control 110 using a dedicated battery 112 charged via a battery charger 114. In these configurations, fixtures and circuitry are independent from the main lighting system. Lighting systems exist where the emergency battery is connected to some of the main lighting fixtures and not to independent emergency lighting fixtures.
Unfortunately, such a configuration including a plurality of fluorescent light fixtures 104 may result in an important amount of wiring in the ceiling and in a ceiling construction that is harder to achieve. Moreover, such a configuration including a plurality of fluorescent light fixtures 104 requires an important number of standard enclosures for the plurality of fluorescent light fixtures 104 in the ceilings, floors and/or walls. Also, when one of the fluorescent light fixtures 104 becomes inoperative, it might be hard to replace the fluorescent light fixture 104 without affecting the whole lighting system 100. Additionally, this configuration requires other auxiliary components, a speaker module or a video module for example, to be installed independently from the lighting system 100 with dedicated harnesses and enclosures. In an embodiment, the speaker module comprises a speaker and the video module comprises a video display and/or a video camera. This may again result in an important amount of wiring in the ceilings and walls of the railway vehicle or train. Also, emergency lighting needs to be installed as individual components when this configuration is used in a railway vehicle.
There is therefore a need for improvements in lighting systems for railway vehicles.